Renewed government funding for customs declarations

HMRC has made available a further £16m for grants to help businesses fund training and IT improvements related to completion of customs declarations, in preparation for Brexit. The grant scheme, administered on behalf of HMRC by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), first opened for applications between December 2018 and 31 May 2019 following the original £8m round of funding. Applications for the second round will close on 31 January 2020.

The training grant can cover the full cost of training for employees, up to a limit of £2,250 for each course. To apply, businesses must:

• complete customs declarations for themselves or someone else (or intend to in the future); or
• import from, or export to the EU and complete customs declarations (or intend to complete customs declarations in the future).

The training does not have to lead to a formal qualification, but must provide the skills to:

• complete customs declarations;
• carry out customs processes; or
• help other businesses with import and export processes.

The IT improvements grant is worth up to €200,000 (the maximum amount of state aid available). To apply, businesses must:

• currently complete customs declarations for importers and exporters;
• have 250 employees or fewer; and
• have an annual turnover of less than €50m.

The IT improvements grant must be used to buy ready-made software (and necessary hardware and training) to help complete customs declarations.

See bit.ly/2TPsn5b.